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Your immediate help is needed to defeat harsh new mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee will soon consider a bill that would create draconian mandatory minimum sentences for a variety of nonviolent drug offenses, including marijuana. If this bill becomes law, anyone convicted in federal court of the crime of "enticing" someone "who has previously been enrolled in a drug treatment program" to "possess" marijuana will receive a five-year mandatory minimum sentence.

That's right: Passing a joint to someone who used to be in drug treatment will land you in federal prison for a minimum of five years.

Please visit http://www.mpp.org/MM to e-mail your U.S. representative and two U.S. senators today. It only takes a minute to send one of our pre-written e-mails urging them to stop this bill in its tracks.

In addition to the shocking joint-passing provision described above, the bill would also create a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for a first-time conviction of distributing a small amount of marijuana to a person under 18 years of age ... and a 10-year sentence for a second offense of distributing marijuana to a person under 21. By comparison, the average time served by convicted rapists in this country is about seven years.

MPP does not condone the distribution of marijuana to minors, nor do we advocate the use of marijuana by people recovering from substance abuse problems. But we do believe that judges should have the discretion to determine whether or not offenders in these circumstances deserve to be imprisoned for sentences as long as five or 10 years. If these mandatory minimum sentences are enacted, judges' hands will be tied.

This bill has traction because it also contains a section that serves as the House Republican leadership's response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made the Federal Sentencing Guidelines advisory, rather than mandatory.* The Republican leadership is highly motivated to pass this bill -- and with it, the harsh new penalties related to marijuana.

The "Defending America's Most Vulnerable: Safe Access to Drug Treatment and Child Protection Act of 2005" (H.R. 1528) was introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) on April 6, and it has already passed out of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

The bill will now be debated and voted on by the full House Judiciary Committee and -- if the committee passes the bill -- the full House will then vote on it.

--------------------"Their is one overriding question that concerns us all: How can we get out of the fatal groove we are in, the one that is leading towards the brink?" Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"We may not be capable of eradicating the corruption of reason, but we must nevertheless counter it at every instance and with every means." Dan Agin
"Politics is the best religion and politicians are the worst followers."
-It's ok to trip as long as you don't fall.
-Substance over Style.
-Common sense is uncommon.

It's not wasting breath. It may not stop the bill, but it could at least build support for our side. Not everything is about this moment, but opposing this bill strongly could lead to strong reforms down the road. So if you don't think anything can stop this bill, that shouldn't stop you from telling your rep how you feel about it.

We have to stop playing a passive role and start becoming more proactive if we want true change.

Aye, we as a people need to be more focused on what affects us, rather then sit idle and let those determine our life through way of their morality.

True change, will happen when the former decision makers are ousted, or spin 180, and the mindset is more freedom oriented, rather then protecting-people-from-themselves-as-we-somehow-know-what's-better-for-an-individual-then-the-individual-does mentality.

--------------------"Their is one overriding question that concerns us all: How can we get out of the fatal groove we are in, the one that is leading towards the brink?" Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"We may not be capable of eradicating the corruption of reason, but we must nevertheless counter it at every instance and with every means." Dan Agin
"Politics is the best religion and politicians are the worst followers."
-It's ok to trip as long as you don't fall.
-Substance over Style.
-Common sense is uncommon.

Convince somebody to tack a rider on the Bill to cut counter terrorism funds. That would work.

I don't know that a bill like that will necessarily pass, even with the lawmakers we have.

--------------------1. "After an hour I wasn't feeling anything so I decided to take another..."
2. "We were feeling pretty good so we decided to smoke a few bowls..."
3. "I had to be real quiet because my parents were asleep upstairs..."

Hehe, but then they'd be considered Un-American, and un-patriotic as the spin team (PR bastards) would suggest that but cutting it, they support it, or are undermining National Security, and they'd prolly more then likely bring in doubts the credibility of the one proposing it.

--------------------"Their is one overriding question that concerns us all: How can we get out of the fatal groove we are in, the one that is leading towards the brink?" Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
"We may not be capable of eradicating the corruption of reason, but we must nevertheless counter it at every instance and with every means." Dan Agin
"Politics is the best religion and politicians are the worst followers."
-It's ok to trip as long as you don't fall.
-Substance over Style.
-Common sense is uncommon.

If mandatory minimum sentences for minor drug offences haven't been withdrawn by now, I doubt they ever will be.

Sorry hopeful Americans, don't mean to burst your bubble here, but it's too late for your country. Might as well face it. Maybe someone should have noticed, oh, say, 30 years ago. It might not of been too late then...but now, since you guys can't even trust your own voting process, how could you hope to change things?

Here's some choice morsels from the links Lothar121 provided...

Three-year mandatory minimum for parents who witness or learn about drug trafficking activities, targeting or even near their children, if they do not report it to law enforcement authorities within 24 hours and do not provide full assistance investigating, apprehending, and prosecuting the offender.

What a bunch of fascist bulshit!!!

So if mom and dad see out the kitchen window, their son and his friend smoking grass, passing the joint back and forth (traficking), if you don't tell the cops within 24 hours you go to jail for three years? The kid would lose his parents! Real good for the family! Those republican geniuses wouldn't know family values if they bit them on the clitoris!

In addition to the shocking joint-passing provision described above,the bill would also create a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence for a first-time conviction of distributing a small amount of marijuana to a person under 18 years of age ... and a 10-year sentence for a second offense of distributing marijuana to a person under 21. By comparison, the average time served by convicted rapists in this country is about seven years.

Yep, rapists let out of jail before joint passers.

If that makes sense to you, you must of voted for ol' Bushy!

Ahhnuld in 2008!

-------------------- -I'd rather have a frontal lobotomy than a bottle in front of me

I remember when they were debating on whether or not to allow people to use food stamps to buy vitamins. Some republican fuck argued that if they did that, they would just eat pills instead of food and sell their food stamps to buy alcohol and cigarettes.

Quote:Baby_Hitler said:I remember when they were debating on whether or not to allow people to use food stamps to buy vitamins. Some republican fuck argued that if they did that, they would just eat pills instead of food and sell their food stamps to buy alcohol and cigarettes.